Is the head on my I6 cracked?

[Isaiah92260]

I think my head on my 250 is cracked, I lost half a quart of oil yesterday. The bracket that holds the exhaust manifold keeps leaking oil, I tightened it down but still leaks really bad, it's my daily driver! ;(

[62step]

I would pull it off just to be sure..

[Clyde65]

Do you have milky oil and milky rad fluid? Like chocolate milk? then probably. but like 62step said, pull it off and really see.

[Isaiah92260]

Originally Posted by Clyde65

Do you have milky oil and milky rad fluid? Like chocolate milk? then probably. but like 62step said, pull it off and really see.

I guess false alarm, someone at a hot rod shop told me it was the valve cover gasket, it's a commen problem that occurs he mentioned.

[GRX]

Yes it is. Make sure the area around the bolt holes on the cover are not dimpled from over-tightening. Very common issue. Also set the cover on a flat surface to check for warpage and twist.

[factorystock]

230 and 250 are great engines, but one of there weakness is the thin wall construction. Blocks can also develop cracks, especially above the water pump.
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[TJ's Chevy]

Most common place for any 6 cylinder to leak oil is the rear of the valve cover. Pull the cover off and you'll see where it was leaking. If your engine had a cracked head it would more than likely be leaking antifreeze and not oil. Ok....you check your oil...and your 1/2 a quart low...how long did that take to happen? Might just be from a bad valve cover gasket. Seal that up...drive it around...if your still low on oil then something else is wrong. That's when I pull the intake and exhaust system off and look into the ports. Also do a compression test to make sure your rings are properly sealing cause you may be burning oil.